


Hand in Hand

by dreamingdream



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mentioned Lee Jeno, Na Jaemin is Whipped, Soft Na Jaemin, jaemin fluff, jaemin imagine, jaemin oneshot, jaemin scenario, nct imagine, nct scenario, this is so bad omg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingdream/pseuds/dreamingdream
Summary: You think Jaemin hates you from his subtle comments, eyes never meeting yours, and refusing to be in the same room as you. But a small mishap might be the silver lining under dark skies as both of you are lost under golden lights.
Relationships: Na Jaemin/Reader, Na Jaemin/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	Hand in Hand

Na Jaemin had always been a people’s person, often seen smiling at everyone, has an endless list of friendships, and the population of the student body crumbling under his every whim.

What confuses you, is how the same Na Jaemin, who volunteers without second thoughts, big grin enough to make someone gush over his looks, is the same Jaemin who can’t look at you in the eye and the same Jaemin who, without a shadow of a doubt, can’t stay in the same room with you because he never did. The last time you checked, your first conversation when you met him a year back, had to be your last.

Does he hate you? You are not sure, and you don’t want to know either.

“What are you so down for?” Hyojin asks, walking after you with the unicorn plush Jeno won for her, big smile wide across her visage. You turn back to her with an eyebrow raised, skeptic eyes scrutinizing your friend. “I mean, you were so excited about finally visiting this place. I just can’t see any reason why you looked like you stepped on horse shit.”

First, you don’t look like you stepped on horse shit. Second, do you really need any reason to feel down?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say with an indignant huff, dropping your whole body down the empty brown bench of the amusement park. Hyojin follows suits, the same unicorn plush grasps tightly between her arms and then you notice the missing lover boy of your friend. “Where’s Jeno?”

“He’s off playing that basketball game with Jaemin or something.”

You loll your head to the side. Jaemin. Of course, _Jaemin._

The noisy amusement park didn’t help as your mind drifts off to earlier, the pelting heat of summer is inevitable, rough and hard against your burning skin, but the smile on your face is enough to rival the warm rays of the sun. After days of endless lounging in your bed, stacks of homework waiting for your return, Hyojin finally calls with a screech, finally invites you to visit downtown to the newly opened amusement park, in the promise of a free ticket.

A loud hum from your line was enough of a yes as you didn’t need more convincing. The park had been the talk of the town, and despite expecting a wave of tourists and visitors, you knew you needed a break away from your bed and the endless whirring of your fans. You knew exactly that this is the break you needed.

So, when Hyojin finally calls from outside your apartment, your roommate bidding you goodbye with a loud _have fun!_ and your eyes shining from the sudden rush of serotonin; you should’ve known that the universe likes to play, enjoys seeing you in pain as you see Na Jaemin, avoiding your gaze, fidgeting from where he was standing and refusing to converse with you through the whole trip.

You wanted to rip your hair out of your head in frustration, mind wrapped around a single thought, and honestly, you wanted to ask Jaemin _‘what the fuck is wrong with you?’,_ but refused. You were a proper civilized citizen; at least that is what you’d like to believe.

If only Jaemin didn’t look so good then you would have glared at him, shot lasers at him.

“Are you even listening to me?” Hyojin pulls you out from your daze and you had to stop yourself from frowning, because fuck, you yourself ruined your day. After all, it isn’t Jaemin’s fault you like to overthink over the simplest things, matters you like to make big.

“What?” You say as an afterthought, but now, as you take in your surroundings, Jeno and Jaemin had both decided they had enough fun on their own and are now standing in their full glory in front of the bench you sat on with confused eyes. “What were you saying?” You turn back to Hyojin.

“I asked if you wanted to get food.” Your friend rolls her eyes at you and smiled sheepishly as a response. Of course, you want food.

You haven’t exactly got the chance to eat since entering the amusement park, attention much more fixated on the rides, so at the mention of food, you didn’t waste time to volunteer and get food for everyone; you would rather walk in between sweaty bodies, squeeze yourself in between parents and their kids than to damn yourself in the same place as Jaemin.

Jaemin, you think as you started your walk away from your friends and towards the enticing food stalls, lights are starting to open as the sun starts to set for the day, turning the blue horizon into a hue of orange and pink pastel. You didn’t hate Jaemin, you think for the second time, but you can’t help but feel small around him, his gaze on you feels demeaning and as much as you hate to admit it – maybe Jaemin is the one who hates you-

“Hey! Wait!” A familiar voice stops you in your steps, you turn around to look for the voice in the sea of people and your eyes just had to land on Jaemin, white shirt tucked under his black pants, brown dyed hair bouncing in his steps as he races after you. “You forgot to ask what food we’d get.”

Your mouth gapes open in embarrassment. As much as you’d like some inner peace at this moment, Jaemin - out of everyone, from Hyojin to Jeno – just had to remind you of your haste, your eagerness to get out that you had forgotten you weren’t the only person capable of digesting food. “Ah, shit, I’m sorry.”

Jaemin, for the first time in a while, grins, albeit weakly, at you. “Don’t worry about it. We can get food for us together.”

And your eyes just had to grow twice their size, grow to one lace with confusion as you take a look back at Jaemin. Never did Jaemin ask to do things together first and fortunately, this is a first out of all the firsts.

You had to keep your shit in together.

Smiling wide, you reply with a _“sure.”_

-

It’s a bad idea.

Not exactly, but quite enough to be there. “You sure this isn’t too much for us?”

After arguing (actually it was the first full-blown conversation you’ve had with Jaemin, although he still refuses to look at you) about what to get, you both settled sloppy corndogs. Jaemin grimaces at your choice, but you shrug, you won and Jaemin has to suck it up.

“You sure this is enough for us?” You reply, drily, but you didn’t have time to look back at the boy, focused on going back to Hyojin and Jeno, one hand holding a plastic bag full of soda, Jaemin struts after you with the food, and this time, he’s silent.

A year of hearing Jaemin’s name, you sure did know a lot about him. He’s smart and handsome, always stands out in the crowd with a bright, charming smile. He’s awfully kind, that’s one quality of him you learned after meeting him in the freshmen orientation of your university.

Still, what you don’t understand is how it took a full year, and an amusement park at that, for you to once again share a conversation with Jaemin. He can easily flirt, beam his dashing smile at anyone, so why not at you?

“Hey, do you remember where-“ You turn around to see no Jaemin behind you. People started to flock, leaving you with no air and sweat accumulating at the expanse of your forehead. You turn to look once again, only to realize you have squeeze in between the crowd, the sun had fully set now, the moon shining across the vast black and the blinding lights of the park shadowed over you.

No Jaemin.

You panic.

“Jaemin?” You turn again and this time, in between the sudden surge of the crowd, heat brushing up against your skin, panic at the tips of your fingers. Just like a fleeting moment, like a wave of cooling air, you see Jaemin.

You see Jaemin, and just like a breath of fresh air, you smile at the sight of him.

“Where were you?” You sigh in relief, glad to see a familiar face amidst the crowd and he smiles back.

“I was just at your back and then, then you were gone.” Jaemin huffs out like you both weren’t surrounded by strangers, but he seemed like he didn’t mind as he loops his free arm against yours. You look at him curiously and you see the deep pink shade color of his cheeks, like the same color of pens you used, the same shade of his hair a few months back when he dyed it pink. “So I won’t lose you again,” He mutters and you turn around, equally embarrassed.

The crowd this time, goes thicker, and as moving past these people had been proven wrong, you and Jaemin came to a compromise and decided to stay put. Despite the cold summer night, you felt hot with the endless swarm of bodies around you. “What’s going on?” You ask no one, referring to the crowd around you.

Jaemin, also confused, shakes his head as a no, and this time, blinding light glared at the both of you. Both of you nod and as you mutter a small _oh,_ the crowd cheers in delight: the nightly parade had started.

“This will take longer,” Jaemin says, and you are reminded by his hot touch against your skin. You didn’t really expect this to happen, and you hated how your cheeks flushed hot like you were back at high school again, hated how exactly you liked his arms around yours.

You nod in agreement and then, as much as you didn’t want to continue, “Jaemin?”

The said boy turns back to you. “Yeah?”

You open your mouth to start speaking, but fought against it, there’s no use continuing, but the urge curls deep in your toes, and _fuck it._ “Do you hate me?”

Jaemin’s eyes go wide in shock.

-

“Do you hate me?”

Four words from your mouth and Jaemin swore he’s thumping heart had to tear a gaping hole in his chest. Did he just hear you asked if he, Na Jaemin, hates you?

Oh. Oh, god, no.

Jaemin can never find it in his heart to hate you. He had always been fascinated by you, oftentimes found him thinking about you, admires how put together you are but, as much as he flirted around, he can never find the courage to stay under the same light bulb as you.

Seconds, minutes, hours, even days before his skin his hot against yours around the sea of people; Jaemin would get lost in class, eyes boring holes on your back and he’s thankful, thankful he took this class because really, it’s the only time he can look at you without his palms crying in perspiration, his heart wild against his ribcage.

The first time he saw you, Jaemin knew he liked you. Under the ugly lights of the big room, his eyes meeting yours in between short glances, he knew you were pretty, and meeting you, was just a bonus he didn’t know he needed. A small world it is.

He didn’t really mean ignoring you, never striking a talk with you, forgetting the concept of words once seeing you in his periphery, but now, under the golden lights of the rides, he’s reminded how his senses would whir off and then he’s back to the present.

“I don’t hate you,” he responds, solemnly as if looking at a picture-perfect painting before him. With you meek beside him, his eyes travel back to the parade, pretty with lights adorning the float, a girl in the center singing, and Jaemin found the need to talk louder over the noise.

You both were quite once again.

Looking at Jaemin, you didn’t find the courage to ask more as he smiles, his looped arm dropping, hands grasping yours. “You know, we should talk about this after the parade.”

“As we should. But hey, do you think Hyojin and Jeno are fine?” You motion to the bag of soda in your hand and to the corndogs in Jaemin’s.

Jaemin laughs at this. “Don’t mind them, they’ll be fine.”

Jaemin loves, loves talking with you, loves sharing words with you. And despite regret deep in his roots, he knows he’s never too late – especially when your hand is tightly clasped around his.


End file.
